Water On The Land Flashcards
Describe the cross profile of a rivers lower course
Very wide, almost flat valley, very wide, deep channel. Gentle gradient.
What does a rivers long profile show?
How the gradient changes over the different courses
Name the river course where vertical erosion is dominant.
Upper course
Name two processes of transportation
Traction
Saltation
Suspension
Solution
When does deposition occur?
When a river slows down
Where is the current fastest on a meander?
On the outside of the bend
Name the landform created when a meander is cut off by deposition
An Ox-bow lake
Where do waterfalls form?
Where a river flows over an area of hard rock followed by an area of softer rock
What is a flood plain?
This is the wide valley floor on either side of a river which occasionally gets flooded
Describe how levees are formed
These are natural embankments along the edges of a river channel. During a floor, eroded material is deposited over the whole flood plain. The heaviest material is deposited closest to the river channel, because it gets dropped first when the river slows down. Over time, the deposited material builds up, creating levees along the edges of the channel.
What do the contour lines on map show?
The direction which a river flows.
Give two pieces of map evidence for a waterfall
The symbol for a cliff and the close contour lines
What is river discharge?
The volume of water flowing in a river
How does impermeable rock effect river discharge?
There’s a lot of runoff. Lag time is decreased so discharge increases.
Describe two physical factors that can cause floods
Prolonged rainfall
Heavy rail
Snowmelt
Relief rainfall
